VMware View Client for iPad opens broad vistas for enterprise users who
want to use an iPad but require access to a Windows desktop. The
no-cost View Client for iPad extends VMware’s virtual desktop
environment
to the popular Apple iPad granting users the ability to run Windows
apps without the need to carry a PC.
In my tests, accessing a Windows 7 desktop system via a
first-generation Apple iPad running iOS 4.3 was both responsive and
usable
via touch-based gestures. The VMware View client faithfully represented
the Windows desktop on Apple’s iPad hardware (including Flash
animations).
The VMware View Client of iPad works over 3G and WiFi connections. My
tests of this first-version release of the View Client for iPad were
confined to using our WiFi network. Future tests will compare
performance when running over 3G networks.
While the View Client for iPad is available at no cost from the Apple
App Store, the underlying VMware View infrastructure is not. In order to
use the View client, your organization will need to first make a
strategic decision to implement a virtual desktop environment where the
Windows client systems are hosted in a data center. For the pros and
cons of using VMware View, please see my review here.
IT managers who have a View virtual desktop environment in place will
find it a simple task to integrate iPad users. The existing server and
data center components including the View Connection Server (the server
that brokers connections from users to virtual desktop systems) and the
virtual desktops themselves require no changes. iPad users need only
download the client and then log on to the Connection Server to gain
access to a Windows desktop system.
For more, read the eWEEK article: VMware View Client for iPad Brings Windows to Apple Users